The present invention is generally related to electrical or electromechanical devices, and, more particularly, to apparatus and techniques for securely affixing and routing in such devices, notwithstanding the presence of vibration, conductor circuit elements, such as may be made up of generally thin, flat, and flexible elements, commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cflex circuitxe2x80x9d.
Electrical or electromechanical devices, e.g., modular devices, used in equipment subject to vibration, such as may be used in automotive, aerospace, and other industrial applications need to be carefully designed to be substantially unaffected when exposed to any such vibration. For example, these devices may use flexible conductors to make electrical connections between one or more components associated with the device, such as electronic, sensor and actuator components. During vibration conditions, the flexible circuit has a tendency to randomly move around, and rub on the components internal to the module. This rubbing action could eventually cause wear and tear of the flexible circuit, which can result in undesirable electrical shorts.
Unfortunately, prior to the present invention, some possible techniques for somewhat alleviating the vulnerability of the flexible circuit to vibration-induced rubbing and eventual wear-out tend to introduce new problems. For example, one could glue the flexible circuit to a can or housing that encloses the device in order to prevent movement of the flexible circuit. Another possible solution would be to add an additional protective layer of plastic to the flexible circuit. This second layer would serve as a barrier, which would have to be worn through before the flexible circuit would become exposed. However, neither of these solutions is fully satisfactory. The use of glue is generally a messy and time-consuming process; and providing the additional protective layer is not a fool-proof solution, since the protective layer still would be subject to the rubbing action and that layer could eventually be worn through.
Thus, it is desirable to provide affixing technique and structure that, at a low-cost, reliably avoids the foregoing issues. It would be further desirable to provide affixing technique and structure that would result in a more reliable and durable electrical connection in the modular device, notwithstanding of exposure to vibration.
Generally, the present invention fulfills the foregoing needs by providing in one aspect thereof a device including a generally flat and flexible circuit for electrically inter-connecting components therein. The device includes a post including a recessed section configured to receive the flexible circuit through an opening in said circuit. The structures defining the opening in the flexible circuit may be configured to provide a snap-fit between the circuit and the recessed section of the post, and thus avoid undesirable movement of the flex circuit in the presence of vibration.
The present invention further fulfils the foregoing needs by providing in another aspect thereof a method for inter-connecting components in a device using a generally flat and flexible circuit. The method allows providing a post including a recessed section configured to receive the flexible circuit through an opening in the circuit. The method further allows configuring the structures defining the opening in the flexible circuit to provide a snap-fit between the circuit and the recessed section of the post, and thus avoid undesirable movement of the flex circuit in the presence of vibration.
In yet another aspect thereof, the present invention provides a method for assembling a generally flat and flexible circuit providing interconnections in a device. The method allows providing a post including recessed and non-recessed sections. The recessed section is configured to receive the flexible circuit through an opening in a first segment of the circuit. The method further allows inserting the non-recessed portion of the post through the opening in the flexible circuit. Insertion is continued until the first segment of the flexible circuit is received by the recessed section to provide a snap-fit therebetween.